


memory

by orphan_account



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, F/F, time skip, volleypearl week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:54:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22298134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Pearl reminisces.
Relationships: Pearl/Pink Diamond’s Original Pearl | Volleyball
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21





	memory

**Author's Note:**

> this is for volleypearl week day 6: her! :D

Pearl rested her elbows on the rails of the beach house deck, gazing longingly out at the star-speckled sky and the reflection of the full moon on the ocean. She traced her fingers along the wooden railing carefully, noticing how every little scratch, nick, and groove felt against her fingertips. A soft breeze brushed past her hair and whistled through her ears, carrying with it to her nose the faint smell of salt. She heaved a sigh and leaned forward slightly, scuffing her navy flats against the deck and shutting her eyes for a brief second.

She had to admit that she rather liked these flats; she’d never had such a dark-colored outfit before. She thought they went well with her dark purple sweater and lilac jeans. She also liked the contrast with her nearly-white hair- thousands of years of exposure to the Earth’s light had finally taken its toll on her peachy locks. Not that she minded. The Earth had served her well.

Pearl recalled the way she’d earned her new outfit: in a skirmish with a rogue, rebel anti-Diamond-reform gem while she visited Homeworld and the Diamonds with Blue Pearl, Yellow Pearl, and Volleyball. It wasn’t the proudest way to poof but she supposed it was her time anyway. She’d been wearing her teal jacket for almost a thousand years.

Yet at the same time, Pearl wished she could poof again just to change her outfit, so that her last reminder of the skirmish could be erased. 

Seven hundred years later and she could still see it when she closed her eyes- the Jasper’s javelin, slicing through the air, Volley standing completely unawares twenty feet away. 

_ Volley! Watch out! _

Pearl remembered her own cry as clearly as if it happened yesterday rather than several centuries ago. She’d slapped her hand over her mouth as soon as she’d said it, and couldn’t tear her eyes away from the arc the javelin made through the dark sky. Volley turned a moment too late- her gem was right in the javelin’s path, and when a crack echoed through the air Pearl felt herself cringe and fall to her knees, her sword crashing to the ground a moment after she did.

There was no Steven’s magical spit. There was no Rose’s healing fountain.

That skirmish stole Pearl’s precious Volley from her. 

And as far as Pearl knew, she was stuck with those memories for all of eternity.

A lump formed in Pearl’s throat and threatened to spill tears over the edge of her dull teal eyes. She dug her fingernails deeper into the flimsy rail and forced herself to inhale and exhale, again and again until her hysteria was driven from her mind. She didn’t need the oxygen, but it cleared her head.

Pearl knew what Volley would say if she were still here.  _ Aww, Pearl, no need to cry. I’m right here, see? I’m not going anywhere! I’ve got you, Pearlie! _

Then she would rest her feather-light, petal-soft hand on Pearl’s own, and lean over to press a gentle kiss to Pearl’s cheek, letting the touch linger for a moment. She’d draw back only when Pearl would giggle, or maybe murmur an affectionate “oh, stop that.” 

A brief smile flickered across Pearl’s face when she recalled Volley’s love for giving affection. Volley had been such a gentle, chaste gem, even for a Pearl. She was soft in the ways that mattered- she was a fighter, yes, but above all she was a lover. Pearl loved the way Volley’s beauty would shine through her smile and her gentle eyes. She was a light to every gem that knew her, a gift to her adoptive planet.

But now that light was gone, and just like the sun, it had darkened the whole sky with its disappearance. 

The ocean breeze began to pick up, and a breath hitched in Pearl’s throat. She refocused her gaze and let it linger on the sand briefly, before it traveled upwards to watch the moon.

Volley had loved looking at the moon. 

Pearl swallowed. She took one more deep breath, releasing it quietly, slowly. She could almost feel Volley’s soothing hand resting on her back comfortingly, rubbing small circles onto her back and whispering sweet nothings into her ear. Telling her she was okay.

She shook her head.  _ Imagination. _

Then she looked back to the water, granted with a sudden urge to go down and see it up close, just one more time.

Taking a step felt like lifting a whole warp pad on the bottom of one foot. Another gust hit her halfway down the stairs to the beach. A few tears pricked the back of Pearl’s eyelid, but she heaved another shaky breath and continued.

As her flats slipped comfortably into the cool sand of the beach, Pearl felt a bit of tension release from her shoulders.

Here she stood, all alone in the moonlight, but she suddenly felt closer to Volley here than she did anywhere else. Volley’s presence wreathed around her softly, carrying the scent of flowers and saltwater, and the sensation of kisses Volley hadn’t lived to give. Pearl knew the feelings came from a spot of pure wishful thinking, but she gave the notion no acknowledgment.

She didn’t want to remember that her memories were her only company tonight.

Now Pearl realized what must have drawn her down to the beach. When she blinked, she could almost see a tall silhouette standing on the beach with her. The figure’s outline wavered softly every so often as if it were holographic, but it was less solid than even a hologram.

_ I must be going crazy. _

Pearl approached the figure slowly, her padded footsteps silent. She didn’t need to get too close to the figure to see who it was, especially when its voice sounded out. Louder than a thought, but quiet enough that Pearl knew the voice was merely a figment of her lonely mind.

_ Your mother’s Pearls never had the whole picture. One knew your mother was trying to change, but she couldn’t understand why. The other never expected her to change at all. Now, I get to understand everything. Now, they finally get to have each other. _

Pearl reached her hand up to clutch her chest.

Before Mega Pearl could unfuse, her outline began to grow fainter and fainter until there was no trace that she had been there at all. Not that there would be, Pearl realized. Mega Pearl hadn’t really been there on the beach with her. Pearl was just imagining, reminiscing about how it felt to be so close to Volley for those short moments- moments she didn’t treasure nearly enough before Volley was gone.

To be fused again, to be so close to the gem she’d held so dear to her, was a fantasy Pearl couldn’t afford to entertain. 

Now, Pearl could only imagine Volley’s hand in hers again. She could only imagine Volley’s head nestling in the crook of her neck, and she could only imagine Steven’s presence nearby, huddled on the sand a few feet away watching the water. And, most importantly, she could imagine the words Volley had spoken to her just then, the words so quiet that not another soul could hear them being said. 

_ I think I could love you someday, Pearl. _

A strange sensation had suddenly flooded Pearl’s body, and she’d replied,  _ I think I could too. _

Volley’s hold on Pearl’s hand then grew a little tighter. 

The beach looked exactly the same that night as it did on this one.

Snapping her out of her reminiscing, a sudden bright gleam caught Pearl’s attention from the corner of her eye. The light was a soft pink, and it sparkled from the edge of the water as the gentle tides moved the object lazily back and forth, like a star gleaming on the shore.

_ Perhaps that’s what drew me here. _

Pearl approached it cautiously and kneeled down when she reached the edge of the water. The tide flowed over the exposed tops of her feet, and as she gathered the object in her hands, she felt a chill race up her back. 

The object was rough in Pearl’s hands. Its edges were rough with ocean debris, and it was heavy- heavier than it looked.

Now that the source of the light was cupped safely in her hands, Pearl could finally see what it was.

It was an oyster, open slightly at the mouth, which allowed the soft light to shine through, and made Pearl’s pale hands appear to glow pink.

Pearl sucked in a breath. She knew that on Earth, oysters, at least the ones that contained pearls, could only be found in deeper depths of the ocean. Why this one washed up on Beach City’s shore she had no idea. Its weight felt solid and comforting in her hands, and with a sudden certainty, she knew was meant to have it. 

Pressing her thumbs into the slightly-open mouth of the oyster, she pried it open. The glow increased in intensity until a heavy object tumbled out onto her slender hands. Pearl was now nearly completely engulfed in faint pink light, and her hands began to shake as she observed the pink pearl that lay in her palms.

No sooner could a single fleeting thought of Volley cross Pearl’s mind than when the pearl began to levitate, its light increasing in intensity and casting a harsh glow across the beach. The bright light prompted Pearl to cover her face with her hands, and when the piercing glow calmed down and Pearl’s hands dropped to her sides, she was suddenly paralyzed in shock. 

Clothed in pink and standing with her back to Pearl was a very familiar figure.

And this time, she was completely real.

Volleyball turned around, letting her beautiful soft pink eyes rest on Pearl. Immediately the corners of Volley’s lips lifted up into a bittersweet smile, and she let out a small laugh.

Pearl was rendered speechless. 

It was  _ her. _

Volley’s voice was just as lovely and lyrical as it had been seven hundred years ago.

“You didn’t think I would be gone forever, did you?”


End file.
